UK basketball adds another big man for this season. He’s coming all the way from Europe.
In late June, Kentucky men’s basketball head coach John Calipari hinted that the Wildcats weren’t done adding to the roster for the upcoming 2023-24 season.
In a press conference prior to UK’s participation in the GLOBL JAM tournament, Calipari cited the unknowns in college basketball roster building while teasing the fact that another player could join the team.
Early Tuesday morning, Calipari’s insinuation turned into fact.
Zvonimir Ivisic, a 7-foot-2 center from Croatia, will become the 12th scholarship player on the UK team for this coming season.
Ivisic announced his intention to enroll at Kentucky through a post on Instagram.
“I got the offer for scholarship by Coach Calipari to attend the University of Kentucky,” Ivisic posted. “I’m excited to tell that I accepted the scholarship and I will play there next season. Go Big Blue!!”
His arrival comes amid plenty of uncertainty in the Kentucky frontcourt, with both star freshman Aaron Bradshaw and sophomore Ugonna Onyenso currently sidelined as the result of offseason medical procedures.
Born in 2003, the 19-year-old (soon to be 20) Ivisic has long been a prospect discussed in NBA Draft circles.
His introduction to the basketball world came in 2019 when he starred for Croatia at the Under-16 European Championships.
In more recent times, Ivisic also impressed at the Under-20 European Championships with Croatia in July. He averaged 11.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.4 blocks and shot 34% on three-point attempts in 19 minutes per game at the tournament.
This past season, Ivisic was a rotation player for Studentski Centar Podgorica, a team based in Montenegro that competes in the Montenegrin Basketball League and the Adriatic League.
Ivisic has played for Studentski Centar Podgorica — also known as SC Derby — for the last two seasons along with his twin brother, Tomislav.
In Adriatic League games, Ivisic averaged 5.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 10 minutes per game.
Listed on his NBA Draft profile page as 7-foot-2 and 220 pounds, Ivisic is very much a modern basketball player with an “outside-in style.”
In an ESPN article breaking down Ivisic’s commitment to UK, NBA Draft and scouting expert Jonathan Givony called Ivisic “one of the top European prospects in his age group.”
Ivisic also told Givony that he chose Kentucky “because it’s the best spot in the U.S. for talented basketball players and Coach Calipari is a Hall of Fame coach that (has) sent more players to the NBA than anyone else.”
While there are certainly raw elements of his offensive game, Ivisic is a player who isn’t afraid to shoot from the outside and possesses the skill to drive the ball.
How well this translates to American college basketball remains to be seen, though.
There’s also still plenty for Ivisic to improve on defensively, but his length and size alone should add value on that end of the court.
At 7-foot-2, Ivisic is the tallest player on the 2023-24 Kentucky men’s basketball roster, and he would be the tallest Kentucky Wildcat in the Calipari era.
Shagari Alleyne, a 7-3 center who played at Kentucky from 2003-06, is the only UK player to have been taller than Ivisic.
Assuming both Bradshaw and Ivisic appear in games for UK, there will now have been 12 Kentucky men’s basketball players who have stood at least 7 feet tall.
Ivisic was to be a draft-and-stash candidate in June’s NBA Draft, but he withdrew his name from consideration ahead of time. He did the same for the 2022 NBA Draft, as well.
Because Ivisic entered and withdrew from the last two NBA Drafts, he will be unable to withdraw the next time he enters for draft consideration.
Ivisic is set to join fellow big Onyenso as the only two international players on the current UK roster.
He would also join a short list of Europeans to play college basketball for Kentucky.
Lukasz Obrzut (Poland), Olivier Sarr (France) and Morakinyo Williams (England) are the only Europeans to ever previously suit up for the Wildcats.
This story was originally published August 1, 2023 at 7:55 AM.
